The first document focused on the role of emerging technologies to support FBI outbreaks and investigations,4 and the second explored FBI roles and responsibilities during collaborative outbreak investigations.5 The second document introduced EPHP core competencies for FBI investigations, identified challenges related to communication silos in public health program delivery, emphasized the importa. [...] EPHPs need to develop and maintain FBI outbreak investigation competencies to continue to support all three phases of investigations: (1) environmental health; (2) epidemiology; and (3) laboratory.5,8 This will require continued and coordinated efforts between the accredited academic programs, CIPHI, and EPHP employers to ensure that the education and training needs of EPHPs performing FBI investi. [...] that identified several training priorities for environmental health professionals, namely, environmental assessments, interview skills, observation and record review, and critical thinking.9 Here, given the complexity of outbreak response, one of the most important skills identified is the ability to acknowledge the need for help and to ask for it. [...] Given the general lack of awareness and use of the toolkit identified by participants, PHAC’s Outbreak Management Division should consider surveying public health authorities to identify ways to increase the awareness of and use of the toolkit and any additional outbreak or training needs. [...] Ideally, outbreak summaries and the sharing of lessons learned would include information on the most notable successes and challenges that occurred during the outbreak response, as well as what could be improved upon for similar outbreaks.3 This sharing of information will help raise awareness of the importance of FBIs and the roles of various public health partners, and identify prevention measur.
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- Canada
